D&D: Monstrosities
by sigmateamleader
Summary: This is a story about a Half-elf, and his friends who scour a vast countryside, ridding the area of monsters and many other malicious creatures. Where will this journey take them? Can they remove all of the threats plaguing their country? Or are they destined to fall prey to a myriad of monstrosities?
1. Chapter 1 The Mechanist

_**Chapter 1: "The Mechanist"**_

The sun rose high into the air heating up land and sea, signifying noon time. A lazy man stretched and yawned as the warm light poured through his window. Noticing the time of day, he concluded that it was far too early for him to awake, for one his occupations was in the dead of night, and the other wasn't as strenuous and was a long-time hobby of his. Doing the latter duty at his leisure, the chestnut-haired man, half human and half elf, took a moment out of his tinkering to crack a window to let the sunshine and sounds pour into his workroom. Finishing up the project he handed it off to a buyer, a tall burly man who was currently being nagged by another man, with the opposite build. The taller man was the definition of one who was tall, tan, and handsome. He wore his dark hair fastened into a bun, and a sword strapped to his back, he was clearly some form of soldier, or mercenary. Whatever his job was, he thanked the tinkerer for the weapon, asking if it was just an ordinary high-end blunderbuss, before paying ten gold coins.

"It fires as it used to. The trigger wasn't damaged." The, mechanist began to explain what the real trouble was, before he could get into further detail, he seen that the tall man was already confused. It was as though the half elf spoke a different language, though he was speaking the only language he was fluent in. "I didn't hafta fix that part, I had to fix a different part. I didn't add anything special." The lofty soldier shook the mechanist's hand, before asking to take it on a trial run to see if it performed as it used to. Before the man took the customer, and his nervous friend around back, the sign above the shop fell from its perch, above the door, nearly clobbering its owner. Had it not been for the soldier, the shop owner would've had a very bad day, or at least a terrible headache. Handing over the heavy sign, the soldier laughed heartily.

Jokingly the soldier inquired "How is it that you can make weapons and things, but not set up an ordinary sign?" Smiling wide the soldier patted the half elf on the back as they went about their business, only to be interrupted by the shorter man, who incessantly rushed the soldier, while being very vague in front of the shop owner.

Seeing that the short, bearded preacher was worrying himself sick, the businessman offered him a pint of ale to calm his nerves, promising "We won't be long, father. Make yourself at home, before you worry yourself to death." The holy man laughed, nervously, and composed himself, before kindly rejecting the shopkeeper's offer, reminding the half man that his body was of the lord. "Right, well the offer still stands, just in case." The shopkeeper asked the men their names, to which the taller man answered Roy, of the city of Ruthell. He continued by saying that he was a part of the city's militia. The priest was from the Church of Saint Eileen Ruthell. As the story goes, she fought in Pelor's name, and saved the City from some undead calamity, unfortunately she died while doing so. In her memory, the renewed city was renamed, and a shrine of her was erected in the heart of the vast city. The priest went by the name of Father Locke. The shopkeeper introduced himself as James E. Rustle, or Jimmy for short.

Father Locke continued about his beliefs, talking nonstop about what their clergy strove for and the local church's ideas. Jimmy hurried after Roy, whispering that he didn't care much for the religion, he just wanted to conduct his business and stay comfortable and to himself.

"I just want the three P's. A pint, a pipe and a bit of peace." Jimmy said to the duo, to which Roy agreed, patting the business man on the back. After some time, Roy tested his weapon, and the two of them were all set to take off. Bidding them farewell, and a safe journey, Jimmy, along with the other two, heard growling coming from the wooded area nearby. A trio of wolves hurried from the thicket, chasing the men into Jimmy's home.

"It's them!" Father Locke wailed, hiding behind his two friends. Puzzled, Jimmy repeated the last word of the father's sentence, as though it were a question.

Bravely dismissing the preacher's words, Roy reminded him to stay calm. "There's always been wolves in these parts. These few are just hungry, or ornery…nothing more." There was clearly something that was left unaddressed, an elephant in the room, but Jimmy could not quite be sure. He'd seen the way wolves behaved, this was unorthodox behavior, even for something as simple as a wolf.

"Wolves don't usually behave that way, and your responses are even stranger." Jimmy noted, raising an eyebrow. The two men whispered amongst themselves, before revealing to Jimmy that his suspicions were well placed.

"We are hunters…" Locke began, only to be stopped by their host who chuckled, momentarily.

Jimmy walked over to his vast collection of liquors to pour his new friends some refreshments, asking "Well, aren't we all these days?" Both men gasped in surprise. They didn't know someone as mild mannered as Jimmy would take part in such a thing, given his frail physique. "I only do it at night, and only around the surrounding area. Why do you think I tinker?" He offered the two of them a seat at his table while he dealt with the trouble outside. Assuming the man referred to the typical definition of hunting, Locke tried to stop him, but halted upon hearing the front door being beat like a filthy rug being cleaned.

Motioning for the two to remain silent, Jimmy drew a silver dagger, and a strange looking gun, before he flung open the door to see a giant, gaping maw with teeth like steak knives roaring at him. Straight-faced, the man shoved the blade through the bottom jaw of the werewolf, even piercing the tongue. The monster withdrew from the doorway before falling on its back to die. Its associates, hurried to the porch, before the half elf fired his complex gun. The gun was four miniature blunderbusses, on one large frame. With this, the brilliant Jimmy could fire four times, before having to reload. Giving the monsters two shots each, the tinkerer had them incapacitated long enough for him to acquire his silver dagger and plunge it deep into their soft torsos. The room was silent for a while, until the stillness was broken by Roy's applause.

"Well done, James! Well done!" The soldier cheered, chugging the last bit of mead. The two guests helped to remove the corpses from his home, and dispose of them. "How'd you learn to do that?" Roy wondered, digging a pit.

Pulling himself from the hole, Jimmy took a swig from his flask, preparing to explain his secret. "These monsters were once my family. They were once human." Jimmy looked at the wrapped bodies. "Some of them are random people from the town, or from your city, but most of the time, they are my family members returning home." Jimmy drew a heavy sigh, before lowering the corpses into the pit, and drenching them with oil. The father said a prayer, before Jimmy dropped a torch into the pit with the three loved ones. When the ceremony concluded, Father Locke explained their mission, saying that they were setting up to track down a man who their superiors believed to be the source of the infection. The two were expected to meet up with another group of hunters and work together to hunt the monster terrorizing a distant countryside. Their intelligence corroborated that this pack of werewolves was greater in number than any other, in recent history.

"These poor people are merely ill…" The father began, explaining the local church's views on the werewolves. "Just as we eat things that were once alive, so do these people. They suffer from an illness of the mind, nothing more." The preacher was very strangely accepting of the were creatures. His sect chose a different avenue than most. They viewed it as a form of being charitable by giving mercy to these afflicted people, be it a cure (if any), or death.

"'You can't help it if someone puts a curse on you…I suppose, but this isn't any ordinary curse, father." Roy began to disagree. "I mean, we should do something about them, but the only thing I know to do is put them out of their misery." Roy continued, harboring an honest feeling of guilt. He had killed men before, but in all his years in the militia, he'd never taken the life of an innocent. He felt that if someone just turned into a werewolf, and haven't committed murder, he or she should not be treated as though they have. A kind-hearted view, but an unhealthy one as well.

Jimmy rolled his eyes, preferring the term euthanasia to murder. He knew all too well that there was no cure, nor treatment, nor other means of deterring a werewolf, other than silver. Staying a while longer, the men asked for Jimmy to accompany them on their hunting trip, to free a countryside from an even larger threat. Valuing the peace and quiet, Jimmy looked at a list of names, many of which were marked off. They were all members of his family that were werewolves, those who had a line through their name were deceased, those without a line were still at large. Counting the remaining family members, Jimmy decided to accompany the hunters.


	2. Chapter 2 Wolf Mother

_Chapter 2: Wolf Mother_

The trio secured Jimmy's house, ensuring that all traps and locks were engaged, before leaving for the night. The group didn't get too far from the porch, before seeing something that made Jimmy's blood run cold, freezing him in his tracks. The woman stood on a nearby hill on the property, whistling a tune known by Jimmy's half-human, half-elven, family. The woman's whistling whisked wolves, whilst warning the woeful wanderers.

"Praise the sun…" Father Locke gasped, counting the group of over twenty werewolves that gathered nearby, their figures illuminated beneath the golden moonlight. The growls and snarls of the horde of werewolves and Lycans didn't quite mask the sound of the woman's whistling. The shaggy figures, though great in number, didn't attack, nor did they move past the mysterious woman. The overwhelming group of monsters stood still, resembling soldiers in the presence of a commanding officer. The woman ceased her whistling, extending a hand to Jimmy, as if offering for him to take it and join the group.

Angrily rejecting the woman, Jimmy ordered his new friends close to him. He planned for them to retreat to the house, knowing most of the monstrosities would be killed, before they could enter, thus reducing the group of dozens to a handful that, in theory, wouldn't be a handful, after they've sprung the traps, both the enchanted and the normal. The last obstacle, and the most dangerous, would be the leader of the creatures. The woman rested her hands on her hips, cocking her head to the side, as if to question Jimmy's decision. The woman, highlighted by the glistening, golden, ray of the moon, laughed, causing the horde of burly bipedal bedraggled behemoths to bellow boisterous laughter.

"I've never seen a wolf laugh." Roy whimpered to his friends.

Keeping his eyes on the woman, Jimmy adds "They do that, sometimes." Sweat fell from Jimmy, as if someone had splashed his face with water. The woman stopped laughing, extending an expecting hand to a nearby werewolf. The creature passed her a bow and arrow, the recipient of the loaded weapon, fastened a small glistening item to the shaft of the arrow, before shooting it in Jimmy's general direction. The arrow was clearly not mean to hit anyone as gravity drove it into the dirt several feet away from the trio. With a roar, the woman turned away from the property, whistling for her numerous comrades to follow and fallback. As the group of horrors receded, the woman halted briefly to glare at Jimmy, her eyes beaming a luminous red, before she snarled, angrily walking away. Retrieving the arrow, Jimmy suggested that they remain in his home, until the latter part of the next morning. Without hesitation, the three men locked themselves in the safety of Jimmy's home.

Having retrieved the arrow, Jimmy made sure he was in private, before untying an expensive ring from the woman's arrow. Clenching the ring in the fist of his right hand, the man slipped the ring into one of his pockets before returning to his private bar. While Roy turned in for the night, Fr. Locke joined Jimmy at the bar, inquiring about the ring. Jimmy refused to answer, simply claiming that it was just a ring, nothing more. The father knew better, but he chose not to pry, assuming it was from a deceased loved one. Assuring James that their hunt will be successful, Locke said he was very grateful for the shelter, before toasting his host and gulping down the beer.

"So much for the body being a temple of the lord." James thought, keeping a hand over the ring in his pocket while he and Fr. Locke gulped down the alcohol.

The following morning, having found rest despite their recent encounter, the three sought their partners in the nearby town. Jimmy and friends found the other hunters having breakfast, before they set out. Roy called to the barmaid to bring three more beers and plates of the daily special. Meeting the other hunters, Jimmy watched as one of them argued with an Aasimar woman who accompanied them. The hunter pulled the woman by her leash, angrily whispering to her, before slapping her across the face and dropping her wooden plate to the floor. Aghast at the atrocious behavior, Fr. Locke chided the hunter, advising him against tormenting his slave in public.

The slave wiped the blood running from her nose with a handkerchief stained with blood. The young woman apologized to the group, before sitting on the floor, beside the booth. Keeping her gaze on her plate, she seen a hand gently raise it from the floor, returning it to the table. After repositioning the plate, Jimmy cautioned the man that the townsfolk were vehemently against slavery.

Exiting the booth, the hunter replied that the law stated otherwise, asking "What's it to you anyway?". The security passed by, warning the men not to cause a spectacle, for the law also forbade fights, unless done professionally, and public beatings, of slaves and convicts.

"Do no harm, or we'll bring you in for both crimes, respectively." The guard sternly warned.

As he scruffy hunter took his slave by the leash and exited the building, leaving with some of his team, Jimmy heard a woman's voice thanking him for his kindness, in the back of his mind. A short green goblin, wearing fancy, silver armor, stayed behind to trade info with Jimmy's group. By the goblin's account, Dunon, the scruffy hunter and slave owner, led the hunt. On this excursion, the groups have ended the lives of several werewolves & lycans. Despite their conflicting opinions Jimmy still wanted to help clear the area of werewolves and similar dangers in the vicinity. The goblin assured the half-elf that his help would be invaluable, due to his history and knowledge of the area. Before the goblin rushed after his departing partners, he assured Jimmy that their party preferred to split up, thereby covering more ground. The half-elf wouldn't have to put up with the other hunter's habits.

The city of Ruthell is a small one, it still has the typical blacksmith, locksmith, general store, and potion/magic shop(s). Though the shops themselves are small, their lists of wears are larger than most stores of a similar size. The city itself is located near the end of a vast forest, stretching from the Southwest coastline, across the country to the Southeast coastline. When the large forest was first charted, the explorers named it Green Tongue Forest, for it was wide and seemed to end in the shape of a rough arrow, at the Southeastern coast. The groups parted and departed, Dunon's group went along the outer length of Green Tongue, hoping to stop half way through, in the town of Wood Bell. There, Dunon's group would repay a different group of hunters for giving them the lead on the werewolves that the hunters, of Wood Bell, were too unorganized to tackle.

Jimmy's team traveled to the Southernmost part of the country to deliver a progress report. The trio were to go to the magical, port-city, Emerald. When the five explorers went to explore Green Tongue, they made it their mission to (verbatim) "See how far down it went". To their dismay, the forest covered the rest of the southern tip of the country, it was certainly a vast forest. The group became hopelessly lost, and most fell ill. The group of five fell to four, after a large pack of overgrown wolves, larger than any dire wolf, attacked, wearing down the weakest member. Fortunately, the group was saved by a hunting party of Elves, from the magical city of Emerald. Luckily for the explorers, the elven city was built with silver imbued by strong magic that further helped to repel the wolves. After the travelers were nursed to better health, they shared their knowledge with their saviors, the elves. The elven townsfolk had no idea that other people inhabited the island, they just assumed it was all a vast, dense, forest. The elves mingled with the other cities and races. Sometime later, one of the explorers retuned to the city of Emerald to reunite with a female huntress from the hunting party that saved his expedition. The two got married, leading to the Human-Elf hybrid that is James E. Rustle (aka Jimmy).

James, Roy, and Father Locke walked into the shallow end of the forest, so much so that if they looked in the appropriate direction, they could see the smoke from the chimneys of Wood Bell. Sadly, this sight was soon replaced with a nigh blinding light, followed by a cacophonous sound, resembling a great, shrill church bell. Roy and Jimmy cursed while Fr. Locke shrieked as a sudden gust of wind threatened to topple the trio. The forest itself seemed to flinch before the immense light, and its prevailing wind, loosened branches, twigs and other debris hurled towards the trio. Only Roy managed to stay upright, whilst Jimmy fell to his knees. Fr. Locke took the brunt of the gust, the poor man was swiped by a small cluster of tiny branches, luckily, he received mere scratches and slight bruising around the right side of his bow.

Shaking off the minor injuries, Fr. Locke hurried towards the direction of the light with his friends following close behind. The small group rushed toward the light source wondering its origin and purpose. Whatever the bright light was, it was most certainly long gone, tinting the sky a grim shade of maroon, this darkness went on for miles, replacing the once clear, blue sky.


	3. Chapter 3 The Martyr & The Traitor

_Chapter 3: "The Martyr & The Traitor"_

Dunon pulled his slave into a horse drawn carriage, signaling for the silver armored goblin to take off. This group met with no resistance on their journey to Wood Bell. The owner of the female Aasimar ordered her to make a note of their successes and updates to their team's version of the expedition.

"The lodge owners in Wood Bell are gonna want a 'fine sum' for their information, ya know?" Reminds the fourth member of the team, a leather clad Drow with a dark bandana fastened to the top of his head. "…we haven't collected our rewards yet." The Drow continued, revealing his pouch of eighteen silver pieces and three bronze. Dunon nodded and hit the slave causing her to shriek, before he pounded on the ceiling of the wagon. Halting the vehicle, the silver clad goblin readied his weapon while Dunon exited behind him.

"Everything okay?" The short man called, keeping his eyes on the tree line.

Dunon plunged a dagger into the nape of the goblin's exposed neck, killing him almost instantly, assuring "Oh yes. We're all good here". The road was so secluded, the only thing around was birds, trees, and grass, so nobody was around to witness as Dunon stripped the goblin of any expensive belongings, before tossing the corpse into the tall grass. Dunon fabricated a lie in which the goblin dismounted to urinate in the woods, not returning for a while before a death rattle was heard in the distance. For the remainder of the journey, the Drow drove and Dunon, with his slave, road silently to Wood Bell.

When the time came for Dunon to offer payment, the Dwarf in charge of the lodge, accompanied by a few of his friends, that helped run the hunting lodge, graciously took the fancy set of silver armor, along with forty silver pieces. Unfortunately, this was just below the desired amount, even with the used set of decorous silver armor. Having no other option, Dunon offered an additional form of payment, bringing in his slave. Dunon began stripping the woman of her clothes, presenting her nude body to his clients, telling them to use her however they pleased. The Drow that accompanied Dunon waited at the bar across the street with their carriage, while the transaction took place.

A sudden rumbling shook the town, causing the Drow to fall from his barstool and flee the collapsing bar. The sky began to ring as the clouds parted in a circular pattern over the town as the blue sky glistened, fading to bright, hot, white. The mere sight of the white sky stung any eyes who dare looked upon it. To the townsfolk, it was as if the sun and Earth moved to meet one another. The sounds of ringing and horns could be heard, muting all other sound of the collapsing buildings and shrieks of townsfolk. The Drow that once accompanied Dunon fled the town. First, he hoped to return to their carriage, but the horses were struck dead from the heat and the noise that rattled the area. Finally, forced to flee on foot, the man ran as fast as his legs would carry him.

…

Hurrying to the cause of the blast, Jimmy, Roy, and Fr. Locke reached the main road leading from Wood Bell. The area seemed as if someone, flying high above their location let loose bags of glitter, for tons of small glistening particles of light floated around the trio, beautifying the ominous breeze. The three hunters spied a lone figure, an average sized, rough, glass statue in the shape of a male Drow. The group noticed it resembled Dunon's companion, posed as if he was fleeing from something in fear. Assuming the poor fellow was fleeing from the creator of the large beam of light, James, Roy, and Fr. Locke pressed on.

A thought formed into the minds of the hunters, like a freezing breeze stinging their minds, leaving extreme feelings of sadness or fear. The thought was of the beautiful, golden haired slave, standing nude amongst smoke and rubble, glowing a painful, pale white, scowling at them through flaming eyes, lamenting "Why would you come here?" The thought flew from their minds just as fast as it had entered them, causing an agonizing, stinging sensation behind the eyes of the confused men. Despite the shared mental image, the group continued into the ruined remains of Wood Bell. The group initially planned to split up and search the area, until they passed the town's welcome sign, finding scorched skeletons of what once was as the bright light subsided.

"You shouldn't have come." A familiar voice called. It was at this moment that James and his two partners realized that the light had not faded from around them, but rather it had, as if, by some will, rushed over to cloak the nude Aasimar. "What idiot would actually run towards a blast like that?" The girl asked, sarcastically. The light that covered her began to take the shape of silver plate armor, covering her entire trunk, hands, forearms, and shoulders. Next, greaves took shape, shielding everything from her knees down, finally a plated skirt formed, ending a few inches above her knees. The female Aasimar introduced herself as Ellen Ruthell. "The texts clearly skewed some details…" Ellen surmised.

"The city…w-what happened?" Locke wondered, shaken by Ellen's nonchalant behavior. "How did you survive?" The man asked watching as Ellen's once white skin darkened to a grayish color. The knowledge flooded to Locke, who backed away from the woman in horror and disbelief. Ellen didn't evade the blast, she caused it. Locke's face said it all, his companions needn't ponder the cause of their friend's horror, for the shared the feeling.

You've glassed this town, literally in that Drow's case!" Jimmy complained, being interrupted by the fallen angel.

"I gave my life for this country…" Replies Ellen, flicking her wings to clear them of the rubble and sand. "…and the Lord that I served and died for, brought me back as a slave. Guess he's no fan of martyrdom, ya know? 'THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE!?'" Ellen began to shout in multiple voices, causing the men's ears to ring. "I was partially eaten alive, decapitated, and then there was the explosive holy explosive that I triggered! After all of that, the blast killed me." Ellen recalled, cradling the wing that she remembered losing with angry tears stinging her eyes. "…then, in my next life, I wasn't brought up in some holy light with a slew of attractive virgins awaiting me, no eternal bliss! Nothing but starvation, beatings, rape, and suffering…you can't know wat that's like." She concluded, fashioning a glaive from light, rocks and, wood.

"Why was that Wood Bell's fault!?" Roy questions drawing his sword "'What of the pious, pure of heart, the peaceful, the meek, the mourning, merciful, the dutiful, and decent?'" Roy asked referring to some holy text from their religion.

"All doomed...fuck em. They're on their own." The Aasimar replies, telling them that she'll go fourth and make a life for herself. Putting away her weapon Ellen walked away from the trio, only to be stopped by Roy, who called for Fr. Locke to join him in smiting the fallen angel. "This is heresy…we won't let you leave, alive!" Roy promises, readying himself for battle. Jimmy tried to give the three of them room to fight, making it clear that he desired no part in fighting a celestial, nor any descendants thereof. Roy and Fr. Locke wanted to slay the traitor but became distracted by Jimmy's actions, while they stood arguing, Ellen used her giant white wings to shoot a gust of wind, repelling the religious duo down the lengthy walkway, out of town. Rushing towards them with her powerful wings, Ellen pinned Locke with one foot while positioning the glaive so that it's blade was pressed to the holy man's throat. Demanding that the two leave her in peace. "Let's just go our separate ways. I don't want to kill either of you, but if you persist, I'll do it." Ellen swore.

The duo surrendered, granting Ellen's wish, additionally, they angrily walked away, expressing their displeasure with Jimmy for allowing a nefarious being to evade justice.

"What choice do I have!?" Jimmy shouts, flipping off the two fleeing zealots, knowing that the Aasimar would kill him first, if he joined the "righteous heroes". Dabbing beads of sweat from his brow, the half-elf, mechanist prepared to solve things diplomatically. Trying to hold a conversation with Ellen, Jimmy noticed she looked worn out. Before he could aske the woman collapsed into the dirt. Calling after Locke and Roy, Jimmy learned they were out of earshot. Suddenly, he wished they were still threatening eachother.


	4. Chapter 4 Renegade Angel & Pirate Pauper

_Chapter 4: Renegade Angel and Pirate Paupers_

Jimmy, acting as fast as he could, hoisted Ellen from the ground, draping one of her limp arms over his shoulders to clumsily walk the unconscious lady to the safety of Emerald.

…

A door creaked open, pouring light into a dimmed room. Sliding in with a tray of food and drinks, Jimmy poured a generous glass of cinnamon whiskey, after readying some of the food and water for Ellen. Quietly calling her name, Jimmy illuminated the room. Having called her name a few times, the woman still didn't wake. Taking his glass, Jimmy patiently took a seat in the corner of the fancy room, by her bedside. Whilst Ellen slept she had a vivid dream of Pelor, restraining her, laying out a list of those she'd murdered, when the lodge owners tried to rape her. The dream, as many would consider it, was more like an out of body experience. Colossal, flaming shackles chained the woman scorching her wrists and ankles while also binding her, forcing the criminal to prostrate. The large, gold, empty room housed a ten-foot tall angel and the bound Ellen. The shining angel stood before Ellen. Looking around, the chained Aasimar noticed that the room was not fashioned from gold, instead it was the light emanating from the angel.

"Ask and thou shalt receive." The divine creature remarked with a sigh, after reciting her words she said in Wood Bell. "I understand that you've endured quite a bit of trials…" Ellen's captor began, hugging her as he draped his countless, large, fiery wings over hers. The woman's wings ignited, giving off white flames. Screaming from the slow searing of her wings, Ellen could do nothing but wait in agony until her wings were singed to a grey ash, reeking of burnt hair and sour barbequed chicken.

"This is why people don't look fondly on religion…Pelor, you're a dick." Ellen taunts, attempting to stand despite the immense burning pain of her wrists and ankles.

Forcing her back onto a knee Pelor warns "'Tempt not the lord, thy god…' Don't increase the severity, nor length of your punishment with pointless acts of defiance, child." The Aasimar gritted her teeth as her pain slowly subsided, granting a brief respite, before the bones of her wings reformed, clicking and popping into place. This feeling was equivalent to slowly removing a band aid, compared to the other painful punishments. "I know that you've been betrayed by many in your lives, but know that neither I, nor my King, have deserted you-"

"—I'm guessing you're gonna tell me ' _It was then that I carried you_ '?" Ellen interrupts, as her renewed wings reignited.

Forming a small metal symbol, hotter than anything Ellen knew, Pelor acknowledged that, albeit overused, the quote was far from false. Pelor began reading off a list of crimes Ellen committed in her second life, adding that the ones listed were only the most atrocious. The list included "The extermination of a (mostly) innocent township". This atrocity was perpetrated with wrathful intent, which added further counts against Ellen. "The use of excessive force & Misuse of Holy, leading to multiple counts of murder, of innocents, as well as 'a guilty few'". Though the lattermost group were guilty of rape and other crimes, they did not require a death sentence. "Renouncing a holy gift as a curse, or form of torment." This action wasn't necessarily a crime, but it led to her becoming an atheistic apostate. Furthermore, such heresy would be overlooked and easily forgiven, had it not led to a mass manslaughter. For her crimes, Ellen was literally and figuratively branded with the symbol of the absconder, she was also debarred from any bountiful gatherings/happenings from her religion, this excluded ones of penance. Pelor also noted that her skin was changed from the deathlike, grey to a more tanned human skin color. To further denote her status as a Fallen Aasimar, her wings were darkened from white to a dirty tan, color. Upon her demise, her soul would go to Limbo, unless she continued her transgressions or resumed a righteous lifestyle. The symbol scorched into Ellen's left palm depicted a sun with three vague, angelic, figures inside the star, with the symbol of a scale above the angel in the middle to depict that justice had been handed down to the branded person. The edge of the circular brand read "Banished".

When Ellen awoke, Jimmy rushed to her side, dabbing the sweat from her brow, ignoring her obvious change in skin color. Sitting up Ellen curiously examined her surroundings while her caretaker, Jimmy, brought her tray, explaining that she had been unconscious for three days.

"…At least the fever is gone." The half-elf added, notably tipsy.

After scarfing down the food and drink, in record time, Ellen took a breath, before addressing Jimmy with a bland tone. "Okay you saved me, now what do you want in return?" To her question Jimmy japed that he wanted a free, limitless supply of whiskeys and fancy cigars, and a several sets of expensive tools. "Do I look like a-fucking-prayer answering, angel?" Ellen scoffs, refilling her water. "I mean…ya know…servitude? Money? What do you want?" She wondered cynically.

"Saved you?" Jimmy chuckled, returning to his seat with the bottle and glass of whiskey. "Lady, you _spared_ _me_. What do _you_ want?" The half-elf asked, explaining that she could've gave Roy, Locke, and him the "Sodom and Gomorrah beam", but didn't, despite Roy and Locke's actions. "…In truth, I o-only want to see her die…perhaps that's wrong, but isonly nashrul." Jimmy drunkenly admitted, slurring his words and referring to the mysterious woman that was accompanied by a large pack of werewolves. Dropping the subject, Jimmy granted the woman her privacy, pointing to a dresser where new clothes and her other belonging were stored. Turning away from Ellen, Jimmy admitted that he required the help of disciplined killers. "…And, Ms. Ellen Ruthell, yooouuu are, definitely the type of kill'r I'm-a-neeed." The drunken man mentioned, giving the Aasimar an inebriated thumbs-up, before gently closing the door, leaving the recuperating renegade to her own devices.

The next morning arrived whilst Jimmy slept in. The slumbering man was rudely awoken by a splash of cold water, dispensed by a jug carried by sniggering Ellen. Shuddering, Jimmy looked around, hoping to process what happened.

"Hi. I'm here for an interview." Ellen called, hoping the water would put Jimmy in his right mind. "Sober yet? Cuz' it's time for us to talk business." She urged, tossing her new partner a towel. The two spoke about the destruction of Wood Bell, their involvement, and what Jimmy meant by "disciplined killers"

"I meant people who can kill shit that's deadlier than they are!" Jimmy answered, tossing the towel back to the smirking Aasimar that draped it over the closet door to dry. The annoyed man arose from the dampened bed to dry himself, before getting dressed. Whilst dressing himself, and collecting his things, he explained that the human half of his family caught a deadly virus that causes them to transform into werewolves. Those infected went on to reproduce with wolves, dire wolves, and Lycans, causing copious carnivorous creatures to run amok all throughout the country. These werewolves, made through a viral strain, were able to turn half-elves and other half breeds, for this new affliction was not done by any magical means.

Pouring herself a glass of whiskey, Ellen took a large swig after hearing about this new epidemic, remarking "When it rains, it-freaking-pours around here. I'm sorry you hafta hunt your relatives, James." The woman had never been happier to know that most, if not all, her relatives passed on while she was being reanimated for a second life. "Speaking of lives: Why'd you save, mine?" Ellen asked, wondering about his motives. Much to her disbelief, James had not carried her unconscious body to Emerald for any form of payment, he just didn't want her to die, even though she destroyed an entire town.

"I just did it because it seemed cruel to leave you." James admits telling Ellen that he didn't expect anything more than a thank you. "I'd appreciate the help, but if not, I'll just be on my merry way. Sooo…wanna join me?" He asked, offering the woman a handshake. To his excitement, she agreed to accompany him, warning that they would require some supplies, before embarking on their hunting trip. Jimmy easily gelled his short black hair and threw on a black and red flannel, searching for his ring that he'd hung from a silver chain necklace. Seeing Ellen eyeing the man's jewelry, James emitted a sigh of relief, before telling her of the trinket's origins.

"Your wife? Your _ex-wife_ , right? I mean she returned your ring…" Ellen corrects, realizing that Jimmy spoke incorrectly. Jimmy quickly finished the last bit of whiskey, from the bottle, giving Ellen a dismissive one-word answer. From what he told her, his wife just showed up one day and left the ring on his doorstep. Ellen had no idea he was married, and, based on his dismissive answer, chose not to pry, thereby accidentally ignoring the half-elf's white lie.

A large, flying, pirate ship reached the port, its crew, unloading tons of curios, procured by unknown means, took the oddities to pawnshops and flea markets to be hocked off at outrageous prices. Once the crew members concluded unloading they gathered aboard the vessel so that their captain and his first mate could tally up the earnings. Once this process was done, the crew members dispersed, leaving only the ship's captain and first mate on board.

"Quite the haul today, captain. Your debts are almost paid off, only 100,000 more gold pieces and 450,000 silver pieces to go!" A high-class elf informed, almost boastingly. Tapping his quill on the paper, the man assured the boat's captain, a human by the name of Red John, that his debt was nearly repaid. To the gloating elf's remark the captain reminded the snooty businessman that he and the crew took the elf on a journey that granted the loan shark a large sum of gold and valuables. "Yes, and while I'm grateful for that, I don't mix business and pleasure. Ergo that journey of ours, and the effects I've acquired, don't affect your remaining balance." The elf explained, cleverly conning the pirate, in the most legally, underhanded way possible. The elf said his goodbyes and went ashore with his clipboard in his dainty hands. As, the elf turned around John reached into his coat, preparing to draw on the swindler, but was dissuaded by his first mate.

The first mate, Yelken Shönon, an Aaracoran man, that stopped the captain, had indigo colored feathers and looked like an eagle mixed with an Indigo Bunting. The large blue feathered birdman grabbed John's forearm, quietly warning that if death should befall Gleewind, the swindler, his friends would inevitably come searching. Powerful people rarely tend to go missing.

A crowd of frightened individuals gathered to hear the crier reporting that the town of Wood Bell had been decimated by a large blast of white light, approximately three days ago. The Ruthell Militia have been investigating to learn what befell the large, rural town.

"Wow, sucks to be them. Yelkin, why's the news always gotta be so depressing?" John complained, disregarding the local happenings whilst he and his avian friend swerved through the crowd, hoping to find a bar. The two heard a guy asking if there were any brave enough to accompany him and his friend on a hunting trip that would lead to riches, pelts, and other things of value. The man, just some ordinary elf, from what the captain could tell, was quickly silenced by a familiar looking, burly woman with long goat-like legs. The lady shoved him, warning Jimmy that there was no soliciting in the bar, referring to the pub as The Beholder's Belly. The woman was soon smacked with the handle of Ellen's glaive, causing her to recoil in pain, rubbing her stomach. Before it's owner knew it, the staff of The Beholder's Belly had a bar fight on their hands.


	5. Chapter 5 Help Wanted

_Chapter 5: Help Wanted_

The tall woman, a tiefling, grumbled obscenities at Ellen, before sending a wooden chair flying her way. Ellen easily ducked out of the chair's path, watching as it hit the floor, sliding harmlessly into the middle of the pub for all to see. Various, drunken customers looked at the chair briefly, before the whole place erupted into a brawl. Ellen blew a gust of wind that lifted several men and women from their feet and onto their asses or backs. One poor fellow hit the wall and landed on a nearby table, crashing through it.

"Well, that escalated." Jimmy remarks, moving away from the mashup of drunkards fighting one another.

Stepping away from the feud, John, straightening his tricorne, agreed. "You're telling me? I watched that happen and I don't know what's going on." The two men snuck their way to the bar. Taking a new bottle Sam Daniel's Son, John spoke with Jimmy about the offer that the half-elf was trying to make. Filling their glasses with whiskey, John, standing with his back to the bar and Jimmy to his front, asked. "What was that hunting thing you wanted?"

"DUCK!" Jimmy warned, grabbing for John, hoping to remove him from harm's way.

Though Jimmy's attempt at rescue failed, the captain remained unharmed, for just as an angry orc bartender swung a club at Cpt. John's head, Yelken intervened and crashed a chair across the side of the attacker, causing the orc to topple from the counter. Giving a quick glance at the unconscious orc sprawled out in front of the counter, Yelkin comedically replied "No, I'm actually part albatross."

The Aarakocra patted both men on the back, before he heard a familiar rough voice call "NO! YOU'RE A BITCH!" It was the bartender, again, winding up, hoping to swing for Yelkin.

"AND YER MOM'S A CHEAP WHORE!" The birdman replied, parrying the orc's club with a heavy crossbow, before whacking the man with the buttstock. The weapon hit the orc right between his eyes, pushing him back into Ellen's arms who flew the man as high as the pub ceiling would allow, before spiraling downward, into a well-executed, suplex. As Ellen released him and rose to her feet, the female Tiefling, quickly grasped the orc's ankles and flung him onto the returning crowd of people that Ellen blew away initially. "Nice use of wings!" Yelken commends, snagging an unopened bottle of Sam Daniel's Son with a trio of mugs.

"Thanks! Nice parry!" Ellen answered taking a cup and passing it to the Tiefling whom she commended with "Great use of orc".

"Thanks, nice suplex!" The Tiefling answered, raking a whole bunch of bottles of Sam Daniel's Son into her large traveling pack.

The group snuck out of the bar and onto the airship where Yelkin and the Tiefling lady got the ship, speedily, away from Emerald, once above Green Tongue, they slowed to a jaunty cruise. John finally got to speak with Jimmy about the hunting trip, after he welcomed Jimmy and his friend to the Thunder Rolls as he leaned on the thick wooden guard rail of his vessel, listening to the half elf's proposition. Jimmy explained that it was a hunting trip, their prey were werewolves, lycans, wolves, dire wolves, and even hell hounds, should they come across any. Overall, James sought to rid the country of any Were-folk that would be running amok in the country. He also warned that the werewolves weren't made by a magical means, so the lycanthropy was more likely to spread farther than the typical magical cases.

Accepting the job, John offered the additional help of his two crewmates, Yelkin, an Aarakocra whose prowess with a crossbow matched his prowess in the skies. Hearing the captain's endearing introduction, Yelkin clicked his tongue, whilst winking and pointing at Jimmy with both index fingers. His next, trusted crewmember, infamously known as The Bull Demon of Mürla, Jilliana Mulo (aka Jill). The Tiefling, still young, was taught to be the Helmswoman. While she's not the brightest of the bunch, she picks things up quickly, additionally, her height dissuades many would be attackers. The young woman's skin was red-orange with short, dark brown, hair with her bangs slightly covering the left half of her yellow eyes. Her horns were long and dark blue, nearly black, as they protruded from just above her ears. Her horns resembled the Ankole Watusi breed of cows, thick and long, in a U shape with the tips pointing towards whoever she looked at. Her muscular build was held up by two large, muscular, cow-like legs, covered in light brown hair, darkening as it went downwards to her hooves. The girl heard her name called and waved, whilst slightly ignoring Yelkin's lecture on being rough with people and inadvertently causing a barfight.

The group landed in an easier, more disreputable port, to gather supplies, for Jimmy and Ellen had failed to do so due to the bar fight. The city of Ishteme, was the typical, bustling port city, large, crowded, and more accepting to a group like Jimmy's, almost like a mixture of New York and China, but with shorter buildings that stood closer together. Checking the weapon vendors, none of the bazaars seemed to be carrying any silver weapons, furthermore, the jewelers in the city seemed to be fresh out of silver jewelry. This city, further north of Ruthell, along the rocky, fog covered coastline, was supposed to be the perfect place to acquire weapons suitable for the slaying of creatures as hardy as werewolves, manticores, vampires, and the like, but alas the entire city was without silver items.

"It seems, we guessed wrong, Captain." Jimmy shrugged, ripping into a soup bun, hoping to himself that that the werewolves haven't gotten out of hand. John cursed their luck, beginning to eat his food, while Ellen came up with an alternative plan. While she brainstormed aloud, John, with his one eye, noticed that the waitresses were nowhere to be found, instead other people, slowly trickled into the porch/dining area. John tried to silently motion for the two to be aware of their surroundings, as a waiter quickly approached their table, opening the gate leading to a walkway, designed to return to the restaurant's lobby area.

"Good afternoon, sirs and madam, there seems to have been a mistake with your seating." The waiter advised, bowing in apology, before offering to " _ **improve**_ " their " _ **situation**_ ".

"A mistake, indeed." John answered before Jimmy and Ellen could shoe away the new, sketchy, waiter. "How will you ' _ **improve**_ ' upon this mistake?" John asked, beginning to speak with a similar rhythm as the elven employee. The elf explained that they've done a great deal of searching before entering the Golden Great Hall, and he would find a way to meet their very specific " _ **needs**_ ". Choosing to follow the waiter, the trio were led into the rear portion of the building, hearing the music of the dining hall lower as they were drawn further into the building. The employee, removing his dressy, buttoned shirt, to reveal a similarly formal undershirt, discarded the buttoned dress shirt by draping over a coat hanger that stood beside the double doors of the kitchen. Looking around the elf fiddled with a nail of the wooden coat hanger, causing one of the arms to lower with a clicking noise, like a deadbolt being undone. Suddenly, a portion of the wall, across from the kitchen doors, slid aside, revealing a simple, wooden door with a peephole.

"You came looking for enchanted stuff or silver, hm? How about both?" The sketchy elf suggested silently, after knocking a few times. Hurrying into the large closet-like room, where two Tabaxi stood guard, the elf nodded, causing the room to lower. The secret elevator took them to a hidden shopping area, beneath the city.

Turning away from the door, one of the tabby patterned Tabaxi addressed John, shaking the man's hand. "Don't worry, Cap, we'll help you get what you need." The elf, and the two female Tabaxi took their new guests to their shop.

"Welcome to The Bavle-Lyn-Brooq!" (Pronounced as Babblin' Brook). The elf announced, before introducing himself as Bavle and his two sisters Lyn and Brooq. Together, along with two of their dwarven friends, they made a life selling enchanted weaponry, curios, clothing, and armor, all of which were extremely deadly to the types of creatures the hunters were going to face.

"Here at the Babblin' Brook, we've got everything you need!" Lyn proudly declares, holding open an ornate glass door

"…and if we don't, our friends Heckle and Speckle will be happy to create exactly what you may require, for a minor fee, that is." Brooq continues, showing the new customers the dwarven brothers' workshop. Jimmy and friends looked around the store, finding several enchanted, silver weapons. These weapons were deemed illegal by the city's government, due to their being imbued with magic, so there, beneath the densely populated city, an armory hid and grew, thanks to these five people. The three owners knew the captain, having worked with him on several occasions. The group gathered some light munitions, before taking their haul to the checkout counter. Altogether, a few ordinary, silver daggers, ten silver crossbow bolts, five potions of healing, five potions of instant comfort, one potion of solace, and some pellets for Jimmy's blunderbuss. In total they spent about twenty gold, twenty silver, and ten copper.

The group gathered the payment in a small sack on the checkout counter. Suddenly the backdoor bursts open, making way for two aggravated dwarves, bickering back and forth. Finally, the two concluded that they shouldn't get flustered by a derailed shipment. Approaching Bavle with their issue, Heckle apologizes to his business partner, telling him that he and Speckle will require a few days off to locate the missing parcel.

"That's not necessary…" Bavle began, showing them the local paper. "…Wood Bell was razed earlier this week by a beam of holy light..." The elf explained, reading from the paper. "'Its destruction caused many cities and towns to go without things like silver, iron, and various types of meats and furs…'" The elf sighed folding up the paper, stating "Looks like we'll be stuck with the silver weaponry we have on hand, until we can get shipments in from somewhere else".

"My, what a predicament!" Jimmy pretends, glaring at a guilty looking Ellen. The trio lacked the money to buy any of the fancier weaponry, but they were prepared to take on several werewolves. If they worked together, and took the appropriate precautions, they should make it out alive, provided the mystery woman didn't get involved. Jimmy knew that would not be the case. Later that day, the half elf explained to his friends that they would be scouring the countryside around Ruthell, branching outwards with every pack slain.

"Captain, I just thought about something-" Jill began.

Yelkin, comedically interrupted the girl, sarcastically declaring "—Well it must be raining! Honestly, dear we always knew it'd happen, someday."

With a roll of her eyes and a heavy sigh, Jill replied with a snide remark of her own. "Ya know there's a reason that mariner killed the albatross." Yelkin applauded the girl, he didn't think she'd remember the lengthy story of The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner. "Story?" Jill asked, scoffing at the first mate. "I'm talking about the song by The Iron Maidens. Now that shit's the real magic, warlocks be damned!"

"Well put, kid." Jimmy commends, rubbing the side of his head, after a long chug of Sam Daniel's Son. Jill finally got to the point, asking why they couldn't melt down a bunch of their silver coins. Jimmy warned the girl not to put too much stock into that notion, for two important reasons. "Well if you wanna waste that much money, go ahead...also the coins aren't purely silver, there's other metals in it that have weakened the effects of the silver." Luckily Jimmy had a few things at his home that could help them. "Let's dock in Ruthell." Jimmy commands, holding tight to the trinket the mysterious woman returned to him.


End file.
